Yes, It’s True: Cattle Grazing Can Reverse Desertification

On Monday, my blog in response to NPR’s article blaming cattle grazing on the degradation of the environment and declining wildlife populations stirred up a lot of conversation. Many readers commented that while the content I provided to counter the misinformation presented in the article was good and valid, it wasn’t going to reach the masses like the NPR piece did.

Whenever I respond to negative articles of this ilk, it’s always my hope that the beefmagazine.com community will help me spread the word, whether it be through sharing the blog post on social media channels, adding your thoughts in the comments section of the original article, or discussing it further with folks in your area. The more we can disseminate the truth, the quicker we can stop these falsehoods from spreading like wildfire.

Monday’s blog also showed me the interest that BEEF Daily readers have on the topic of grazing and land management. While we know that cattle grazing is truly beneficial to the environment, our consumers have been told otherwise.

After reading the blog, one reader sent us this TED Talk with Allan Savory that shares the secret to fighting desertification and reversing climate change, and that secret is livestock grazing.

In his talk, Savory says that two-thirds of the world has turned into desert, including many national parks here in the U.S. As a biologist, Savory had been taught that livestock production destroys the environment, but in his personal travels around the world, he discovered otherwise.

“I love wildlife, so I grew up hating livestock,” he admits. “Well, we were just as certain the world was flat. We were wrong then, and we were wrong again. There is only one way to reverse desertification, and it’s the unthinkable -- it’s livestock grazing.”

Just like the days where herd animals used to group up to protect themselves from predators, he believes that by allowing livestock to graze the land that has now become barren, we can reverse desertification. You can watch the entire talk below.

Let me know what you think about Savory’s conclusions, and help spread the word to your contacts about the positive impacts of livestock grazing on the environment.